Woman hid cellphone in bread for prisoner

-court hears

A woman who allegedly stashed a cell phone in a piece of bread to take into the Camp Street prison was placed on $100,000 bail by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrate Court yesterday.

It is alleged that on July 7 at Camp Street, Georgetown, Keneisha Jones of 69 Robb Street, Bourda, took into the prison one cell phone, the device being a prohibited article.

According to the facts presented to the court by prosecutor Venetta Pindar, on the day in question the defendant went to the Georgetown Prison to take food for her partner, who is a remand prisoner.

On handing over the food, the prison officer observed the cell phone stashed in a piece of bread.

Jones pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to her.

Attorney Vic Puran, who represented Jones, told the court that his client had no knowledge of the cell phone being in the bread since the food was prepared by someone else.

The prosecutor objected to the bail being granted to the defendant on the grounds that the court needed to look at the security risk posed by the incident, particularly if the phone had gotten into the hands of the remanded prisoner.

The magistrate, however, later granted bail, while noting that the sum must reflect the seriousness of the offence.

The attorney told the court that his client would be unable to post the bail so he asked for a short date for trial. The matter will be called again in court on July 14.